Related

A 7-year-old has been reunited with her stolen dog, thanks to the kindness of a stranger who paid over $200 for him. The dog was stolen on Christmas Eve but returned, via Christmas miracle, the very next day.

"Thank you, the people of Washington Heights… Those great Samaritans… And now we got him on Christmas Day," Angie Estrada told WABC-TV.

Estrada is the mother to 7-year-old Mia Bendray, whose King Charles spaniel was stolen from outside a store on Christmas Eve. The store's security cameras captured a man unleashing the dog from a pole and walking away with it. No one bothered to stop him from taking the dog, but the video was shown all over TV in the hope that someone would be able to help identify him or get Marley the spaniel back.

Tina Cohen told WABC that she noticed a man standing on the corner, yelling that he had a dog for sale. "I said that's not right. I said I'd like to buy the dog; I only have $100." When the man demanded more money, she went to a nearby ATM and took out another $120 before paying the man $220 for Marley.

She took Marley to the vet to be scanned for a microchip and learned it was the dog missing. Police notified the family of Marley's finding, and the family was soon reunited. They also arrested Brad Bacon for grand larceny, Fox News reported.

Cohen was able to be part of the reunion and told Mia, "You guys belong together. I'm so happy you are together."

"That was the worst thing," Mia's mother told ABC. "There was a Grinch that was live and about in New York. The Grinch didn't win today."

Bacon has not yet been arraigned, and it's unknown whether he has hired an attorney to defend him from the charges. Prosecutors have plenty of evidence, though, thanks to the security footage.